Boston native Jesse Orlando has found a niche in sunny San Diego. At first glance, you would assume Jesse grew up in Ocean Beach. He’s usually barefoot,
sun-kissed, sporting ropes of dreadlocks and an acoustic guitar.
He blends right in strumming a six string, perched on the sea wall, playing popular songs and intriguing original music; pedestrians put bread in his jar
and assume “he’s a local,” as they pass by. It seems his passion for music and physical appearance are in grain with the natives of this hazy
beach town.
Have a conversation with Jesse, however, and you’ll soon discover there is far more to this “hippy” than nag champa and iced chai tea. Jesse was
recently featured in Thrillist.com’s “11 best jobs in San Diego”, but not for his noteworthy playing guitar strumming techniques. Orlando’s day job
is flying Jetpacks.
That’s right … Jeese is a musician and a professional Jetpack and Jetboard pilot.
It seems the thrill of the stage only feeds part of his addiction to adrenaline. He’s the new lead instructor of Jetpack America’s San Diego Location.
His 9-5 consists of being photographed 50 feet in the air and performing a series of high risk maneuvers. “I’m part of a growing industry, and I’m
helping people try the coolest thing they’ve ever done! … I love my job.” Jesse recently invented and perfected a new jetpack trick called
“The Downward Double-Cork”.
After a hard day of Jetpack work, Jesse heads to band practice. Casual Friday was a project Orlando and friends started 6 months ago, originally thrown
together to cover for a friend’s band. The “one-gig- trio” was so well received, the venue booked Casual Friday for the duration of the season.
Jesse plays guitar as well as 5 string banjo.
“Beachgrass”, Jesse says, is a sub-genre dissected as “Bluegrass with beachy San Diego vibes and hook driven, poppy themes”. You can find Casual Friday’s
music, gig calendar, and contact info at CasualFridayBand.com.
